Oceans and Coasts

Featured Articles
July 29, 2022
Carbon removal using ‘blue carbon’ habitats “uncertain and unreliable”
New study from the University of East Anglia challenges the widely held view that restoring areas such as mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass can remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Mediterranean seagrass (Image: David Luquet, CNRS-Sorbonne University)
June 22, 2021
Delhi Govt gets stricter in tackling Yamuna river pollution
Policy matters this fortnight
Yamuna flows under (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
June 16, 2021
Tropical rainforests of the sea, under threat!
The World Ocean Day this year has come with a dire warning, of the threat posed to coral reefs, important for ocean health as well as the livelihoods of millions of people!
Coral reefs in the Andaman Islands (Image Source: Ritiks via Wikimedia Commons)
May 27, 2021
Amidst Covid-19 second wave, two cyclones hit the Indian coasts
News this fortnight
Fallen lampost and trees lay sprawled across the road after a cyclone (Image Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
May 25, 2021
Protecting India from maritime disasters
The Arabian Sea is also turning into a hotbed of cyclonic storms
Cyclone Tauktae intensified into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ and made a landfall on coastal Gujarat leaving a trail of destruction behind. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
December 11, 2019
NGT orders 100 percent treatment of sewage entering rivers
Policy matters this week
Polythene bags and solid waste left behind as water recedes in the Ganga river. (Source: India Water Portal on Flickr)
300 million people will be vulnerable to annual coastline flooding by 2050
The number of people vulnerable to floods triggered by climate change by 2050 is triple that of previous estimates, according to a new study.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 06 Nov, 2019 12:28 PM

A new research study by Climate Central, a US-based non-profit research group has projected that 300 million people could face annual coastal flooding triggered by climate change by 2050.
Aerial view of Chennai during floods 2015 (Image: Veethika, Wikimedia Commons, CC-SA 4.0 International)
Arrival of northeast monsoon & retreat of southwest monsoon coincides this year; Salt lake and several metro cities shrinking at alarming pace
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 23 Oct, 2019 01:36 PM

Soon a national framework for e-flows in all major rivers
Yamuna river in Delhi (Source: Sudhanshu Malhotra via IWP Flickr Photos)
Goa fights to protect its khazans; Coonoor cleans its river; Punjab gov scrambles to clean Kali Bein River before Gurupurab
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 10 Oct, 2019 11:36 AM

Goa government, farmers against MoEF for proposing re-designation of the state’s low lying lands
Aerial view of a Khazan in the Zuari river, Goa.
The Water Future Conference in Bangalore: Towards a Sustainable Water Future
The recently concluded 4 day conference in Bangalore looked at the current state of global water resource challenges & future pathways to achieve the SDGs, while ensuring equity in access to all.
Priya Desai
Posted on 30 Sep, 2019 12:38 PM

The Water Future Conference in Bangalore last week, saw many from the scientific community, academia, research, civil society and the media come together to discuss the state of water resources across the world and in India, as well as future pathways and scenarios, and different technological a
Charles Vorosmarty, Chair, COMPASS Initiative, Water Future at the opening plenary on advanced water system assessments to address water security challenges of the 21st century.
Climate vulnerability map of India coming soon
DST and SDC working together to develop pan-India climate vulnerability assessment map, to help communities and states better prepare for climate change.
Dinesh C Sharma
India Science Wire
Posted on 28 Sep, 2019 04:27 PM

New Delhi, September 27 (India Science Wire): Rising sea levels, increasing number of extreme weather events, urban floods, changing temperature and rainfall patterns - such impacts of climate change are being felt in many parts of India, and not just in the coastal areas or hilly regions. 
Dr. Akhilesh Gupta , head of the climate change programme at DST. Image source: India Science Wire
Rising sea temperatures pose a threat to coral reefs
Study analysing data of sea surface temperatures since 1982 finds that three mass bleaching events impacted five major Indian coral reefs.
Susheela Srinivas
India Science Wire
Posted on 25 Sep, 2019 07:21 PM

Bengaluru, September 24 (India Science Wire): The Indian coastline is home to an ancient and diverse coral reef system that provides natural habitat for diverse marine underwater ecosystem.
Image used for representational purposes only. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
India to restore 5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 04 Sep, 2019 11:04 AM

Ahead of UNCCD COP14 in Delhi this week, India pledges to restore 5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030
India urgently needs to address increasing desertification. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
In photos: How temple tanks are helping Chennai conserve rain water
During the monsoon, temple tanks in Chennai fill to the brim with water, helping in groundwater recharge.
Laasya Shekhar
Citizen Matters
Posted on 21 Aug, 2019 03:05 PM

Besides showcasing the architectural expertise and aesthetics of their time, temple tanks also play an extremely important role as water storage systems in Chennai.
Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane has the biggest tank. Recently, volunteers belonging to the Central Industrial Security Force cleaned the tank. Pic: Laasya Shekhar
Beyond the death toll: The everyday violence of Assam’s floods
Mitul Baruah from Ashoka University narrates personal experiences of people affected by floods in Majuli, Assam.
Mitul Baruah
Posted on 19 Aug, 2019 12:53 PM

Floods are an annual phenomenon in Assam. They are as integral to the state as the Brahmaputra River is, and each monsoon, we are reminded that Assam exists (or is drowning). As I write this piece, Assam is slowly recovering from the first wave of flood this monsoon.
Floods in Majuli Assam. Photo credit: Mitul Baruah
Mangroves: Powerhouses of carbon storage the planet desperately needs
Mangroves are carbon-dense ecosystems that can play an important role in carbon storage, study suggests.
P Ragavan
K Sivakumar
R S C Jayaraj
P M Mohan
T S Rana
Posted on 16 Aug, 2019 09:35 AM

Straddling land and sea and swarming with life, mangroves are key to healthy coastal ecosystems. They are recognised for their role as storm barriers, protecting coastal areas from flooding and erosion by dissipating the energy of huge waves. They act as nurseries for fish, help filter river water of pollutants and trap excess sediment before it reaches the ocean.
A cluster of mangroves on the banks of Vellikeel river in Kannur, Kerala (Image: Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0)
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